Tips to satisfy the pickiest holiday party guests

It’s the holidays and planning the perfect party can be complicated and difficult now that everyone seems to have some form of food sensitivity. We ask elle cuisine to help us deal with the pickiest of eaters….

The holidays can be so overwhelming especially if you take on the role of hosting friends and family over the hectic santa season. Nowadays, everyone has allergies, food sensitivities, is off gluten or off meat – it can be a feat to put together the perfect holiday dinner that will satisfy everyone. To help ensure all your guests are taken care of this holiday season, we reached out to elle cuisine’s chef and owner, Lauren Mozer, to find out what her tricks are to creating the perfect holiday party that will satisfy everyone.

When organizing a Christmas party without fully knowing what your guest’s particular tastes are, what is your rule of thumb?

Make sure you have something for everyone. Have a vegetarian option for the main course, and think about picking up some gluten-free crackers for your cheese board. Serve fruit with your dessert just in case you have someone who is picky.

If you have three or more people who are vegetarian, should you make the entire menu vegetarian?

Depends on how many guests you have coming. I feel it’s not entirely fair for an entire evening/menu to be tailored to a handful of guests who have what I would call a “dietary restriction or preference”. It’s lovely to accommodate their diet by offering an alternative, but it’s also nice to make the rest of your guests feel like they didn’t miss out on account of their vegetarian peers. In my experience, it can also make the vegetarian guests feel uncomfortable/awkward if they find out the entire evening has been tailored to their needs.

If a guest makes a fuss that the menu is not suitable for them because they are gluten free, dairy free and meat free (and didn’t advise you previously), what is the correct thing to do? Do you jump up and make them something special? If so, what would you suggest? If not, how is one to handle this?

I always try to do my best to accommodate and wing it. That being said, if you’re not a trained chef, this can cause quite a bit of stress in the moment. The worst thing you can do as a hostess is get overwhelmed and show your stress to your guests. So, if there’s nothing you can do with what you have at home, order them a gluten-free, dairy-free, meat-free pizza and/or some vegetarian sushi and have it delivered.

What are your suggestions to accommodate everyone without overextending yourself?

Have one protein and one vegetarian option for the main course. Make sure the sides are all the same. For example, serve braised beef short ribs on sweet potato mash with green beans and sautéed mushrooms. As a veggie option, serve a stuffed butternut squash or stuffed baby eggplant on the same sweet potato puree with the same green beans and sautéed mushrooms. This will help with the ease of plating.

Serve a salad or soup that is vegetarian as the starter. For dessert, go for a flourless chocolate torte (see recipe below) because everyone will LOVE it!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TORTE (serves 8-10 people)

Ingredients for rub
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips (2 heaping cups)
1 cup butter (8 oz)
4 pcs eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
*cheesecake pan

Method
1. Heat oven to 375. Grease springform pan and dust with cornflour.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave. Mix until well incorporated.
3. In your stand mixer, beat the egg whites with ½ cup of sugar, until they form a stiff peak. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, in your stand mixer, beat egg yolks and remaining ½ cup of sugar until thick, pale, and ribbony.
5. With your mixer on low, slowly add the butter & chocolate mixture to the beaten egg yolk mixture.
6. Stir in a spoonful of beaten egg whites. One spoonful at a time, gently fold in beaten egg whites.
7. Once fully incorporated, pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes.
8. Remove from oven. Run a knife along the outside edge of the pan, then let sit until cool. It will sink down and the top will crack, appealingly.

To Serve: dust with icing sugar and serve with ice cream & berries.

Many people are gluten free these days, what Christmas “carb” recipes do you suggest that would satisfy even the biggest gluten lovers?

French bread stuffing is one of my favourite Christmas carb dishes. Using thyme, rosemary, sage, butternut squash, cranberries, and French baguettes. I also love a good crumble for dessert.

How does one handle the singled out guest who does not drink alcohol? Is there a rule of thumb so as to not make them feel like an outcast?

Have some fresh lemon/lime and cucumber or mint with a nice sparkling water. Make an infused water for the table and offer it to your alcohol-free guest. They’ll feel special and taken care of.

Do you have one go-to holiday menu that appeals to all tastes, even the pickiest eaters?

There’s no such thing. But in general, you’re pretty safe with roast chicken and a really good mashed potato. Mushrooms are tricky so stay away if you’re unsure. Green beans and asparagus are safe and look pretty on the plate.

Do you have alternatives for dairy heavy holiday delicacies? For example mashed potatoes, or bread pudding?

Purees made with other root veggies require far less butter/cream, if any at all. For example, a good parsnip puree is made with chicken or vegetable stock instead of cream. Peel, cut, and roast the parsnip in the oven until it’s golden brown. Put the pieces in a pot and just cover with chicken or vegetable stock. Cook for 1 hour. Blend in a blender and finish with a nob of butter or nut/coconut oil. You can do the same with sweet potato, Jerusalem artichokes, butternut squash, etc.

Finish this sentence: When in doubt I turn to….

Butter…or chocolate 🙂

Can you give us a must-make recipe for the holidays?

elle cuisine’s sticky toffee pudding. Your guests will LOVE it and all want the recipe!

Do you have any other tips to add to Lauren’s advice? Let us know below or tweet us @ViewtheVibe.